Life’s Lessons

Life’s lessons (on just one sheet of paper!)       

Important note:  It’s absurd to tell you these things because we all have to discover them for ourselves.  But, to hell with it, I’m going to tell you anyway!  Here are eight – but if you only remember, say, three that’s fine.  They are all simple, but not easy.

B is for Behaviour

As far as other people are concerned, you ARE your behaviour.  What you say and do is all they know about you.  Everything else, your thoughts, motives, attitudes, beliefs and  feelings, are guesswork. 

B is also for Beliefs

‘Moderation in all things’ applies to beliefs as well as to everything else.  Wars are caused by clashes between strong, intransigent beliefs.  Your beliefs are tentative conclusions, not facts.

C is for Choices and Consequences

Life is just one choice after another and every choice you make has consequences. Some choices have life-changing, often unintended, consequences.  It’s a good idea to anticipate possible consequences before making big decisions.

H is for Humour

Humour is the shortest distance between people.  Situational humour, not joke-telling,  and gentle, but confident, self-deprecation works best.

M is for Mistakes

Mistakes are inevitable and, if handled properly, are wonderful learning opportunities.  Self-justification and blame are the enemies of learning from mistakes.

N is for Negative Thinking  

Negative thinking is a learnt habit and all habits can be broken.  The solution is to practise ‘not thinking negatively’, a neutral place, half way between negative and positive thinking.  This is more realistic than positive thinking which is often a stretch too far.

P is for Pretending

Even when you don’t feel, say, enthusiastic, if you pretend you are, you’ll start to feel more enthusiastic than you otherwise would. Let your behaviour shape your feelings, rather than the other way round.

T is for Thinking

Almost nothing matters as much as you think it does while you’re thinking about it.  You can choose your thoughts in the same way that you can choose your behaviour.  Events, even unwelcome ones, are powerless to dictate your thoughts and feelings.